The American FBI is investigating how a passenger managed to make it from Denmark to the US on SAS flight 931 on November 4 without a passport. Dual Russian and Denmark national Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava has been charged with stowing away on an aircraft.
Mr Ochigava flew from Copenhagen to Los Angeles without a ticket, passport, visa, or any record of being on the flight. He claims not to remember how he got on the plane or passed security at the Danish airport.
Customs officers in California discovered that he was not listed on the passenger manifest for the flight from Denmark or any other flights into the US. An online Russian news site has found a person with the same name owned a recently closed gallery in Moscow.
Airline crew members noticed Mr. Ochigava wandering around the plane, changing seats, and even attempting to eat chocolate that belonged to the cabin crew.
The incident is being taken seriously by Copenhagen Airport and Scandinavian Airlines, who are cooperating with the relevant authorities in the US and Denmark for further investigation. A trial has been set for December 26.
In 1985, two Dublin boys stowed away on a flight from London to New York having travelled to London via Holyhead, Keith Byrne (10) and Noel Murray (13).
